Comprehensive preventive care assessments for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities: Part 2: 2003 to 2014

Objective — To determine if there has been an increase in preventive care among adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) as a result of the publication of the Canadian consensus guidelines on the care of adults with IDD in 2006 and 2011.

Design — Ecological study.

Setting — Ontario.

Participants — The study group consisted of community-dwelling adults with IDD between the ages of 40 and 64 living in Ontario identified in 2009-2010 through administrative health and social services data. The comparison group consisted of a propensity-score-matched sample of the remaining Ontario population.

Main Outcome Measures — A combined measure of a health examination or a Primary Care Quality Composite Score (PCQS) of 0.6 or greater, or both. Both measures were identified using administrative health data.

Results — Adults with IDD were 2.04% more likely to have had a health examination or a PCQS of 0.6 or greater before 2011-2012 and 1.70% less likely after 2011-2012. Adults without IDD were 1.03% more likely before 2011-2012 and 13.74% less likely after 2011-2012 to have had a health examination or a PCQS of 0.6 or greater. Male patients with IDD were 15.60% more likely and male patients without IDD were 7.39% less likely to have had a health examination or PCQS of 0.6 or greater compared with female patients.

Conclusion — Despite the publication of the guidelines there has not been a corresponding increase in the uptake of the annual health examination or in the quality of preventive care among adults with IDD. More is required to reduce this documented inequity in care.